Person:Ralph de Hastings (1)

Ralph de Hastings was not included in the pedigree of the Hastings baronial line by Dugdale in his Baronage. This leads to the misunderstanding of his brother Hugh being the heir of his father. In fact Hugh's son William was heir to his paternal uncle (patruus) Ralph.

Eyton (followed by Clark and Moriarty) felt it worth remarking this point in his Shropshire (Vol. V, p.133ff) because Ralph was clearly an important person who appears in many records.^[4] Presumably the reason is that none of those records directly mentions his father, mother, wife, siblings, nor any children. Dodwell appears to be the first to identify Ralph's wife as Lescelina de Trailly, and Clarence Smith and Keats-Rohan accept this identification.^[5]

Bacton charter 8 is a charter by Ralph where Lescelina de Trayli "my wife" is first witness. In this charter Ralph granted the isle of "Sydritheseye" and appurtenances in "Purleie" to the nuns of Wix. This is clearly a reconfirmation of the grants made by Maurice and his wife Edith. (Edith's family, confusingly also used the surname Hastings, and also had connections to the de Flamville families. But the connection between all these families is now unknown.)^[6]

Keats-Rohan dates the charter between 1154 and 1163. The charter is clearly too early to be Ralph the son of William fitz Robert who later held Wix, because the Ralph who married Lescelina was dead by 1163, as shown in the Pipe Rolls concerning Fordham in Cambridgeshire. According to Clark, Ralph was enfeoffed by the King himself of 20 librates in Fordham in Cambridgeshire and 10 librates in Whitham in Somersetshire.^[7] The Pipe Rolls indicate that Ralph was replaced by Lescelina in 1162, while in Witham he was replaced by a William de Hastings only some years later. William and Lescellina continued to hold Witham and Fordham respectively in the 13th year of Henry II (1166), and in the 14th (1167). In the 15th 16th 17th and 18th (1172) Fordham is still registered as Lescelina's. Witham seems to no longer be associated with the Hastings after the 14th year.

We know that during the chaotic reign of King Stephen, in 1152, a Ralph de Hastings, along with an apparent close relative named William, granted his manor of Hurst in Yorkshire to the templars, such that it came to be known as Templehurst. Because this is very consistent with a Ralph who had an heir named William, this Ralph and William look very much the ones who were dapifers of Bury. It is often assumed that Ralph was also related to Richard de Hastings then, who was Master of the Templars. (But this does not help clarify which Hastings family Richard was in, because Ralph was clearly related to the Little Easton family given that he was heir to Maurice.)

On the internet it is clear that there is a common belief that Ralf was responsible for fortifying his manor of Lidgate during the anarchy. When Ralph was granted the dapifership of Bury, he already had a job as kind of dapifer to Queen Eleanor, which earned him of corrody in several counties in 1155-1158, as shown in the Pipe Rolls.

1.   Dugdale, William. The baronage of England: or, an historical account of the lives and most memorable actions of our English nobility. Deduced from publick records, ancient historians, and other authorities. (London, England: Thomas Newcombe, 1675).
2.   Eyton, Robert William. Antiquities of Shropshire. (London: J.R. Smith, 1854-1860).
3.   Keats-Rohan, K. S. B. Domesday descendants: a prosopography of persons occurring in English documents 1066-1166, II. pipe rolls to Cartae Baronum. (Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: Boydell Press, c2002).
4. ↑ Eyton, R. W. (1878), Court, household and itinerary of King Henry II. archive.org link
5. ↑ Clarence Smith J. A., (1966), "Hastings of Little Easton (part 1)", Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society. Vol. 2, Part 1. and Clarence Smith, J. A. (1968), "Hastings of Little Easton (concluded)", Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society. Vol. 2, Part 2.
6. ↑ Dodwell, B. (1960) "Some Charters Relating to the Honour of Bacton", A Medieval Miscellany for Doris Mary Stenton.
7. ↑ Clark, G. T. C. (1869), "The Rise and Race of Hastings" (in 3 parts), Archaeological Journal, Vol. 26. archive.org link